I Feel Your Pain - Part 6

When losing weight, friends matter.

The weeks have been counting down to the date for the 24 Hours of Moab mountain bike endurance race, and I’m glad to say so has my weight. I’m just a couple pounds shy of my goal to lose 10 pounds before race day. I’ve not been perfect in my efforts, but one thing’s for certain – it’s been easier because of those who have supported me along the way.

Helping relationships are extremely important to anyone desiring to make changes. We all go through various stages as we make changes in our lives, from just thinking about it to actually taking action. At each step along the way, there is probably nothing more vital than having aid from others. My wife has been a tremendous support by making great tasting high-fiber meals, and coming up with creative ways for us to increase physical activity beyond my dedicated workouts. She has buoyed me up when the scale didn’t want to budge. Friends and co-workers have also helped. Many have commented on my blogs and given me encouragement. Just realizing others know what I am attempting, and that they are watching, gives me motivation beyond myself to stay the course. Not only can others assist you, but they also become accountability partners in your endeavor.

I hope some of you have been taking action to lose weight with me the last several weeks, and that you’ve benefited from helping relationships just as I have. If you’ve been going it alone, then do all you can to bring others who care about you into the effort. Let them know you need help, tell them your plan and how they can best help you to achieve your goal. Then don’t be afraid to lean on them when you need to. But be careful whom you choose to rely on. A 2007 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that if you have a close friend who gains weight, your chances of gaining go up by 57%. On the other hand, the same effect is true when a friend loses weight. So be supportive of friends who are also trying to lose, and together you’ll both be more successful.

Changing habits is tough, whether you have 10 pounds or 100 to lose, but it’s certainly a lot easier if you don’t try to do it solo.


The author submits this blog posting as a health educator and not in any other capacity. You should seek the advice of your physician regarding a personal health condition or before undertaking any diet, exercise, or other health program.

Trying to lose weight? I feel your pain – Part 1

It’s been a while since I posted, and that’s because I’ve been too busy to write – or at least that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. I’ve also been on the road a lot. My blog isn’t the only thing that’s suffered as a result. I don’t care what anybody tells you, if you’re busy, traveling, and eating out, it is tough to keep off the pounds.

I now find myself registered to do a “just for fun” 24-hour mountain bike endurance race in October, and with only about 8 weeks to go before the event I’m 10 pounds over my ideal “just for fun” race weight. If you also want to lose weight, I’m in the struggle along with you, and I’m feeling your pain.

As I get down to the weight I want to be, I’m going to take a good, hard look at all of the reasons (really just excuses) that will interfere with the achievement of my goal. I’m going to bear my soul and write about them, as well as the tactics I’ll use to overcome them. Some habits, as well as the way I think, will need to change in order for me to accomplish what I want, and that may not be too much fun. Whether I succeed or fail, I’ll report my progress to you along the way.

I’ve already taken the first steps to successful behavior change: by writing this blog, I’m making a public commitment and seeking support; I’ve set realistic and measurable long- and short-term goals (10 pounds in 2 months, 1 ½ pounds per week); I’m convinced that the benefits of my changes will outweigh the negatives; and I’ll be routinely measuring my progress.

Follow along, and I’ll take you right up to race day. You can also follow me on Twitter - @DrSeale.

The author submits this blog posting as a health educator and not in any other capacity. You should seek the advice of your physician regarding a personal health condition or before undertaking any diet, exercise, or other health program.

Let Your Voice Be Heard

Obesity in children has tripled in the last 20 years. America’s current generation is the first in our history expected to have a shorter lifespan than their parents. Of the children born in the year 2000, one-third to one-half will develop type 2 diabetes. While not entirely to blame, the food our kids are given at school is not helping. Loaded with fat, processed grain, sugar, and salt and nearly absent fresh fruits and vegetables, current menus are anything but nutritious. If parents are trying their hardest at home to feed their children healthfully, does it make sense to undermine those efforts by having only poor options at school? On the flip side, if there is never anything decent for kids to eat at home, why not at least make good food available to them during school lunches? The battle against childhood obesity and chronic disease needs to start somewhere, and it makes sense for it to be at our schools.

The Child Nutrition Act is up for renewal in Congress, and now is the perfect time for an overhaul. A bill has been introduced, the Healthy School Meals Act, H.R. 4870, that would give incentives to schools that offer a plant-based (this means high-fiber) option to students at meal time. Eating high-fiber, naturally low-fat foods is one of the easiest ways to lose weight, and this legislation could be a first step to doing something meaningful in the fight against childhood obesity. To learn more about the bill, or to send your representative an email of support, go to http://www.healthyschoollunches.org/legislative/hsma.cfm.

Or, call Congress today, at 202-224-3121. Ask the operator to direct you to your representative and senators, and tell them you support the Healthy School Meals Act, H.R. 4870.

For five easy steps regarding how you can do even more, go to http://www.healthyschoollunches.org/fivesteps/five_steps.cfm.

Let your voice be heard, whether it be for your kids, grand-kids, your community, or your country. There is no better time than now.

The author submits this blog posting as a health educator and not in any other capacity. You should seek the advice of your physician regarding a personal health condition or before undertaking any diet, exercise, or other health program.

When is a Diet Not a Diet?

Have you tried diets in the past? If so, were you able to lose weight? If you did lose weight, how long were you able to keep it off? Have you gained the pounds back, possibly even more than you lost?

Answers to these questions lead most people to the same conclusion: diets don’t work! There are many reasons for this. Small portions. Pre-made, special foods to buy. The need for pills, potions, or powders. Elimination of essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, which the body will eventually crave. Forbidden foods. Repetitious and boring meals. Complicated regimens. Need to count calories. Requires a program membership. Can’t be continued forever, so you go back to your old ways. The list goes on. You know this. You’ve been there.

The Full Plate Diet doesn’t have any of these drawbacks. Portions are abundant; there are no special supplements or pre-made foods to buy; no programs to join; no forbidden foods, boring meals, calories to track, or anything complicated to remember; and , best of all, it is easily continued long term. It is a diet only in the sense that it will become the way you eat for the rest of your life.

So when is a diet not a diet? When it’s The Full Plate Diet. Check it out. Go to http://www.fullplatediet.org/ for more information and great resources, or get a copy of the book today at any major bookseller. Make it the last “diet” you ever do.

The author submits this blog posting as a health educator and not in any other capacity. You should seek the advice of your physician regarding a personal health condition or before undertaking any diet, exercise, or other health program.

Be Assertive!

How often have you started a new diet only to be derailed by well-meaning family or friends: your mother arrives at your door with your favorite homemade brownies, or your office buddies give you a surprise birthday party at your favorite all-you-can-eat Chinese restaurant? Even before these situations happen, you need to plan for them. If you desire ideal weight and good health, let your family and friends know your goals and then be assertive about keeping yourself on track.

To be non-assertive is to say, “Others matter, and I don’t.” On the other hand, if you are aggressive, the message is “I matter, and others don’t.” You need to find the place in between the two extremes. Being assertive states, “I am equal to others and we all matter the same.” Give assertiveness a try. Tell you mother that you love her brownies so much you can’t just eat one, and it would be more helpful for your weight loss goals if she could make you a high-fiber dessert like baked apples. Explain to your office mates that all-you-can-eat establishments are too tempting at this time and suggest a restaurant where the menu better fits your weight loss plan. It may take a bit of practice, but its well worth the effort. Assertiveness is probably one of the most important tools you will need to succeed.

During the holidays, don’t hesitate to assert your rights to have fiber foods available at the family gatherings, even if it means you bring the veggie platter or salad. Look at it as an opportunity to share your healthy new way of living with those you love. Everyone will benefit. When you find yourself at a restaurant with no menu items that fit into your weight loss goals, don’t be afraid to explain to your waiter exactly what you need. Ask for a steamed side of whatever fresh veggies are available in the kitchen. Or ask that your entree be broiled instead of fried. Odds are, the chef will be glad to break out of the same old menu routine and will welcome the opportunity to be creative. You will be a breath of fresh air!

Try on assertiveness for size, and wear it often. It will look good on you.


The author submits this blog posting as a health educator and not in any other capacity. You should seek the advice of your physician regarding a personal health condition or before undertaking any diet, exercise, or other health program.

Set the Right Goal to Lose Weight

I talk to a lot of patients who don’t set the right goal as they try to lose weight. They get side-tracked and focus only on the amount of fiber they eat, instead of what they really need to be concerned about – getting thinner.

If you focus only on how much fiber you eat, there is a possibility that you may succeed in achieving your fiber goal, but fail at dropping pounds. This is because the benefit of eating fiber foods can be overcome be overeating, or by eating too much of fiber foods that also are high fat. I’ve heard stories about people eating a meal that had over 40 grams of fiber – a giant burrito, for example. But the real issue is whether or not they needed to eat that much food at one meal because they were still hungry, or if they did so just because they thought stuffing themselves with that much fiber would in and of itself cause weight loss.

Your goal should be to lose weight. Eating more fiber is just a tool you use to achieve the goal. Fiber satisfies those hunger pangs and helps stop the need for snacking between meals. Eating more fiber is the roadmap that helps you get there. So don’t lose your direction. Eat more fiber foods as a means to an end – but don’t let it be the only tool you use.

To reach your weight loss goal you also need to stop eating when you aren’t hungry. You may only need to eat half of that 40-gram burrito to feel satisfied, for example. Just because it is lunchtime, you don’t have to eat lunch if you aren’t hungry. Try to skip a meal or put it off for hours, and wait until you are truly hungry – just remember to stop eating as soon as the hunger pangs disappear, and to eat slowly. Also, keep in mind that feeling hunger is not a state of emergency. Look forward to the feeling—it means you are reaching your goal by burning body fat.

Getting thinner is your destination. Put fiber foods to work, and then the pounds will melt away.



The author submits this blog posting as a health educator and not in any other capacity. You should seek the advice of your physician regarding a personal health condition or before undertaking any diet, exercise, or other health program.

The Quick Fix?

During a recent 5-day Stopping Diabetes Workshop, a patient presented me with a packet of material for review and comment.  The information was professional in appearance and design, marketing a product that claimed to be a solution for the chief complaint of most diabetics - fatigue.  According to the material, all one needs to do is consume 1 to 3 servings of their "energy drink" per day, at a cost of $1 per serving, and fatigue will disappear.  What is this amazing product?  Nothing more than an effervescent multivitamin, priced 10 to 20 times higher than standard, and comparable, multivitamin pills.  A multivitamin will not treat the underlying cause of your fatigue, nor will it help your diabetes or weight problem.

Fatigue does commonly accompany diabetes, and can be caused by a variety of factors: being overweight, sedentary, or depressed; and in uncontrolled diabetes it may be due to an inability to efficiently convert blood sugar into energy. 

In my clinical experience, most patients with type 2 diabetes feel a total lack of control over their disease, and with that lack of control comes depression and fatigue.  The ultimate solution is to gain control.  There is a way to do this, but it is not found in a pill, an energy drink, or any other "quick fix."  Gradual weight loss, acheived by eating high-fiber foods as recommended in The Full Plate Diet, combined with becoming more physically active, will cause blood sugars to lower and become stable.  What follows is a sense of control and hope, and you realize "I can do this!"  Energy levels increase as a result.  Making big changes is not required - even taking small steps can lead to big results.

Today this is what you need to do - eat more fiber and take a 15-minute stroll after every meal. 


The author submits this blog posting as a health educator and not in any other capacity. You should seek the advice of your physician regarding a personal health condition or before undertaking any diet, exercise, or other health program.